The skies were darkening by the time O'Neill got into his truck to head over to Carter's after he'd checked out of the base for the day. Not that it was all that late, because it wasn't, but there was obviously a storm coming, and to judge from the clouds, it was going to rain on them before the night was through. Oh well, they weren't planning on going to park, anyways. But of course, that also meant no pretending that he hadn't heard Sam say no to barbeque.
Bah.
He drove to the grocery store that was just down the street from her house, and bought soup, bread, ham, turkey, roast beef, cheese and every thing he thought they might need for their dinner that night. Then, deciding that they'd probably want something for breakfast the next morning – and unsure what exactly Sam had at her house – he also bought cereal, pancake mix, eggs, and bacon. A box of ice cream rounded out his purchases and he headed back to his truck with an armload of grocery bags.
Carter wasn't home when he pulled up, but that was no big deal. He had a key to her house. Although it would have been nice to have help with the bags. He let himself in and put the groceries away, then debated whether or not to start dinner. He was starving. But he didn't know how long they were going to be – since he didn't know exactly where Gina lived, and he didn't know how long it would take them at the video store – so he decided to wait.
He flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV, looking through channels until he found a game, then settled back to wait for the girls.
.........................
They didn't make him wait all that long. Jack was yelling at a referee's call no more than a half hour later when he heard the door open, and the sound of Sam talking to someone else. He turned and looked over the back of the sofa and saw Carter coming through the door, followed by one of the cutest little girls Jack had ever seen.
"Jack!"
He grinned at such ready affection, and caught her when she came around the sofa and hurled herself into his arms, grinning happily and hugging him tight.
"Hey, Gina," he said, scooping her up into his lap. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"I'm great. It's so good to see you!"
"You, too."
"You look a lot better than you did."
Since he'd been badly bruised and beat up the last time she'd seen him, that didn't take much. He smiled and hugged her again, looking over at Sam and smiling a greeting to her as well.
"I wasn't sure how long you guys would be, so I didn't start dinner."
"No problem," Sam said. "I can start it."
"Oh, no. I promised to cook dinner."
"I don't mind."
"You can make breakfast."
"Can I help you make dinner, Jack?"
"Of course."
"Let's get you settled in the guest room, first," Sam suggested.
Jack stood up, and let her slip out of his lap as he did so, so she could go with Sam down the hall and into the guest room, where Carter helped her unpack her bag and stash her stuff in the top drawer of the small dresser in there.
Jack watched from the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched the two of them chatting happily. Gina was just as cheerful a child as he remembered her to be.
They finished fairly quickly – it wasn't like she was moving in full time, after all, so there wasn't that much to unpack – and Gina rushed over for another hug from Jack before she ran down the hall towards the kitchen.
"You can come, too," Jack told Sam, putting his arm around her and walking with her back down the hall at a far more sedate pace than the little girl had.
"What? I have to help?" Sam asked, smiling as she went willingly.
"Nah, you have to show me where all the things are."
He didn't cook at her house all that often. For some reason he and Sam spent far more time at his house. Maybe because it was on a quieter street, or because it was bigger, Jack didn't know.
"We brought DVDs." Gina informed him as she brought a chair over to stand on so she could help him. Jack handed her a loaf of bread so she could make sandwiches.
"Oh, yeah?" He asked. "Which ones?" Please not Bambi. Please not Bambi.
"Oklahoma. Grease, and Annie."
Musicals? Oh well, it was better than Bambi.
"Sounds great."
"Yeah, I like the dancing in them. Sam let me pick them out."
"She told me she was going to."
Of course she liked the dancing in them. Her mother was a dance instructor, and Gina – as Jack recalled – was one hell of a dancer. Especially for an eleven year old.
They chatted amiably while Jack made the soup, and Gina fixed the sandwiches. He gave her free rein on the sandwich making, which basically meant that she over loaded them with meat and cheese. Not as far as Jack was concerned – since he was hungry – but Sam looked at the hefty sandwich the little girl put on her plate, and cut it in half, figuring she'd most likely end up giving at least that much to Jack to finish off for her.
He shooed the two of them to the table, and served them their soup there, and the three of them had a very pleasant dinner. They talked about Gina, mostly. What her mom was doing in Vegas – a dancing contest for a few of her more advanced students – and what the little girl had been doing in school that week. What her favorite subjects were, and how much she'd learned. And Jack found out far more about her fish than he really wanted to know. He hid it well, though, and even Sam – who knew him better than pretty much anyone – couldn't tell that he wasn't completely entranced about Finny, Gilly, Bob, Mustard and Fred.
Then Gina turned the conversation to Daniel and Teal'c, asking Jack how they were doing. They were fine, of course, and Jack told her what they'd been up to since she'd seen them all last – of course he left out the whole going through the Stargate to other worlds things, but he told her what he could.
"Why don't you guys go pop in a movie while I clean up the dinner dishes?" Sam said, when Jack was talked out, and dinner was eaten.
"I can do them, Sam," Jack said.
"I've got them." There weren't all that many, after all. "Gina? Why don't you get ready for bed, so you don't have to do that later?" They weren't going to go anywhere else that night, after all. Especially since she thought she could hear it beginning to rain outside the dining room window.
"Okay, Sam."
She went down the hall, and Jack listlessly flipped through their choices of movies. Grease? Oklahoma? He didn't want to watch Annie. Sam grinned as she watched him, but she didn't say anything. Instead she picked up the dishes and rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher.
"What are we going to watch, Jack?" She asked when she was done. He was still looking through them. Probably trying to figure out which was shortest, she decided with a smile.
Gina reappeared from the spare room before Jack could answer. She was wearing a long flannel nightgown, and looked absolutely adorable, Sam thought.
"Can we watch Annie, Jack?"
"Of course, Sweetheart." This time, though, he hadn't been able to hide the lack of enthusiasm, and even though Gina didn't notice, Sam did, and she couldn't hide her amusement.
Bah.
He drove to the grocery store that was just down the street from her house, and bought soup, bread, ham, turkey, roast beef, cheese and every thing he thought they might need for their dinner that night. Then, deciding that they'd probably want something for breakfast the next morning – and unsure what exactly Sam had at her house – he also bought cereal, pancake mix, eggs, and bacon. A box of ice cream rounded out his purchases and he headed back to his truck with an armload of grocery bags.
Carter wasn't home when he pulled up, but that was no big deal. He had a key to her house. Although it would have been nice to have help with the bags. He let himself in and put the groceries away, then debated whether or not to start dinner. He was starving. But he didn't know how long they were going to be – since he didn't know exactly where Gina lived, and he didn't know how long it would take them at the video store – so he decided to wait.
He flopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV, looking through channels until he found a game, then settled back to wait for the girls.
.........................
They didn't make him wait all that long. Jack was yelling at a referee's call no more than a half hour later when he heard the door open, and the sound of Sam talking to someone else. He turned and looked over the back of the sofa and saw Carter coming through the door, followed by one of the cutest little girls Jack had ever seen.
"Jack!"
He grinned at such ready affection, and caught her when she came around the sofa and hurled herself into his arms, grinning happily and hugging him tight.
"Hey, Gina," he said, scooping her up into his lap. "How are you, sweetheart?"
"I'm great. It's so good to see you!"
"You, too."
"You look a lot better than you did."
Since he'd been badly bruised and beat up the last time she'd seen him, that didn't take much. He smiled and hugged her again, looking over at Sam and smiling a greeting to her as well.
"I wasn't sure how long you guys would be, so I didn't start dinner."
"No problem," Sam said. "I can start it."
"Oh, no. I promised to cook dinner."
"I don't mind."
"You can make breakfast."
"Can I help you make dinner, Jack?"
"Of course."
"Let's get you settled in the guest room, first," Sam suggested.
Jack stood up, and let her slip out of his lap as he did so, so she could go with Sam down the hall and into the guest room, where Carter helped her unpack her bag and stash her stuff in the top drawer of the small dresser in there.
Jack watched from the doorway, leaning against the frame as he watched the two of them chatting happily. Gina was just as cheerful a child as he remembered her to be.
They finished fairly quickly – it wasn't like she was moving in full time, after all, so there wasn't that much to unpack – and Gina rushed over for another hug from Jack before she ran down the hall towards the kitchen.
"You can come, too," Jack told Sam, putting his arm around her and walking with her back down the hall at a far more sedate pace than the little girl had.
"What? I have to help?" Sam asked, smiling as she went willingly.
"Nah, you have to show me where all the things are."
He didn't cook at her house all that often. For some reason he and Sam spent far more time at his house. Maybe because it was on a quieter street, or because it was bigger, Jack didn't know.
"We brought DVDs." Gina informed him as she brought a chair over to stand on so she could help him. Jack handed her a loaf of bread so she could make sandwiches.
"Oh, yeah?" He asked. "Which ones?" Please not Bambi. Please not Bambi.
"Oklahoma. Grease, and Annie."
Musicals? Oh well, it was better than Bambi.
"Sounds great."
"Yeah, I like the dancing in them. Sam let me pick them out."
"She told me she was going to."
Of course she liked the dancing in them. Her mother was a dance instructor, and Gina – as Jack recalled – was one hell of a dancer. Especially for an eleven year old.
They chatted amiably while Jack made the soup, and Gina fixed the sandwiches. He gave her free rein on the sandwich making, which basically meant that she over loaded them with meat and cheese. Not as far as Jack was concerned – since he was hungry – but Sam looked at the hefty sandwich the little girl put on her plate, and cut it in half, figuring she'd most likely end up giving at least that much to Jack to finish off for her.
He shooed the two of them to the table, and served them their soup there, and the three of them had a very pleasant dinner. They talked about Gina, mostly. What her mom was doing in Vegas – a dancing contest for a few of her more advanced students – and what the little girl had been doing in school that week. What her favorite subjects were, and how much she'd learned. And Jack found out far more about her fish than he really wanted to know. He hid it well, though, and even Sam – who knew him better than pretty much anyone – couldn't tell that he wasn't completely entranced about Finny, Gilly, Bob, Mustard and Fred.
Then Gina turned the conversation to Daniel and Teal'c, asking Jack how they were doing. They were fine, of course, and Jack told her what they'd been up to since she'd seen them all last – of course he left out the whole going through the Stargate to other worlds things, but he told her what he could.
"Why don't you guys go pop in a movie while I clean up the dinner dishes?" Sam said, when Jack was talked out, and dinner was eaten.
"I can do them, Sam," Jack said.
"I've got them." There weren't all that many, after all. "Gina? Why don't you get ready for bed, so you don't have to do that later?" They weren't going to go anywhere else that night, after all. Especially since she thought she could hear it beginning to rain outside the dining room window.
"Okay, Sam."
She went down the hall, and Jack listlessly flipped through their choices of movies. Grease? Oklahoma? He didn't want to watch Annie. Sam grinned as she watched him, but she didn't say anything. Instead she picked up the dishes and rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher.
"What are we going to watch, Jack?" She asked when she was done. He was still looking through them. Probably trying to figure out which was shortest, she decided with a smile.
Gina reappeared from the spare room before Jack could answer. She was wearing a long flannel nightgown, and looked absolutely adorable, Sam thought.
"Can we watch Annie, Jack?"
"Of course, Sweetheart." This time, though, he hadn't been able to hide the lack of enthusiasm, and even though Gina didn't notice, Sam did, and she couldn't hide her amusement.